Get ready for some seriously stylish action from renowned designer SUDA51. In this exclusive version for PC, players will be slicing, dicing, and shooting as the suave executioner Mondo Zappa. Prepare for the thrill of love and kill in KILLER IS DEAD!

Buy Killer is Dead

Recommended By Curators

"Fun, cool artstyle, easy enough to learn combat. The biggest complaint is the camera controls, otherwise this game would be a real gem."

About This Game

Get ready for some seriously stylish action from renowned designer SUDA51. In this exclusive version for PC, players will be slicing, dicing, and shooting as the suave executioner Mondo Zappa. Prepare for the thrill of love and kill in KILLER IS DEAD!

Exclusive Features for Nightmare Edition:

New difficulty mode called Nightmare Mode. In this mode, enemies can only be defeated using the following attacks: Adrenaline Burst, Dodge Burst, Headshots, so the gameplay requires far more skill and tactics. Players will not be able to use the Final Judgement finisher (QTE mode) to defeat enemies.

Theater Mode - Rewatch cutscenes and get extended background information on characters, helping to unravel the story after your 1st playthrough

Smooth Operator Pack for console will be included, which includes X-ray glasses, bewitching outfits, stunning beauties, and a killer new mission and boss!

This game is like Takashi Miike, Tarantino, and Frank Miller had a baby. And that baby had a dream. And that dream took some peyote and rode through the desert on a unicorn for a few days. Surviving on nothing but cactus juice, sake, and smooth jazz.And just as it started to come down some rat basterd jacked it up with methamphetamines, clamped jumper cables and a car battery to it's nipples and forced it to develop a video game.Then the baby woke up slightly dazed and spoke it's first words..."Killer is dead" is all it said.

Killer is Dead: Nightmare Edition is a crazy hack-n-slash action game that feels similar to games like Devil May Cry 4 (and probably others in the series, which I have not played), in terms of gameplay. But, that's pretty much where the similarities end - KiD: Nightmare is a bat-crap crazy game - which has unique characters, unique look for a cel-shaded games, strange levels, surreal elements that feel right out of a David Lynch film, an over-the-top ridiculous story + plot, satire elements, 4th-wall breaking elements, and God knows what else. That certainly isn't everything, as this is the strangest + most unique game that I've played since Deadly Premonition. Fortunately for us PC gamers, this game actually received a decent PC port...unlike Deadly Premonition.

Without giving away too much on the story...well, it goes something like this: Mondo, who also has one bionic arm, works for an agency that assassinates people + does odd jobs. The story is just utterly over-the-top and ridiculous from there so I'll just leave it at that, plot-wise. The game is often very cryptic, not giving you everything in dialogue + in a straight-forward manner. Many of it, is in the visuals. Even if you cannot decipher the surreal + ridiculous story in its entirety, there is something else there that can help quite a bit - which I will get to later.

Mondo is a character who seems to have no real attachment to anything - and just does what he has to do, whether in a main-mission or side-mission, not asking many questions and just going full-steam ahead. And once you finally get the full picture (especially if you also check out Theatre Mode - which I will get to), you'll likely understand why Mondo is the way he is, once we are revealed so much about himself & his past. Once you see this all, it'll make more sense: no wonder Mondo is so screwed-up, as he goes about the main-quest and especially the Gigolo missions like he does, with little attachment to anything & just going straight-forward with full-steam ahead.

Once you finish the game + you want some things to be cleared-up, do yourself a favor: look + read over the unlocked Theatre Mode (which you can access in-game, in The Office). This actually tells the story + each chapter, in all of its ridiculous insanity, in a very straight-forward manner. If there's something that needs to be cleared up, there's a good chance that it's in there. Though, not everything will be revealed - as it's possible some things are meant to be left ambiguous to be interepreted or leave wide-open for (hopefully) a sequel.

This game ran on Ultra settings at a very consistent + solid 30 frames per second, most of the time. I had very few hitches + slow-downs on my rig (i7 950; 1 GB VRAM GeForce 560 Ti; 16 GB RAM; Win 7 64-bit OS) - namely, on one part on the final level for the main-quest, actually. Some PC gamers might complain the game is locked at 30 frames (since many here do prefer 60 frames per second for a frame-cap), but the game runs smooth as silk for the most part & looks really slick. I'd rather have it at a stable 30 frames 99% of the time than say floating anywhere at anytime b/t 30 to 60 frames often, IMHO.

Its art-style oozes nothing but unique-ness. The game has a cel-shaded look, but it still looks much different than other cel-shaded games such as the FPS game XIII + Borderlands series. While it may not be the most technically looking great, its art style is ozzing style, personality, unique-ness - and that style is completely fantastic, with its look, use of colors, and everything. No other cel-shaded games looks like this - period.

The game offers up main-missions and side-missions, on the game's world-map. You select a mission and then go there. Most missions, they're quite linear - as you'll often wind-up going from point A to point B, in a linear fashion - hacking- slashing, shooting, and chopping your enemies up. Some maps are quite open, as you might have to find a few items in this huge map. Finish a map, you'll be graded - and you'll earn more money for items you can buy + also earn experience as you play to upgrade your character's skills.

As you do more main missions, you'll often unlock other side-quests. Side-quests can vary in their nature. When you finish an Episode (to the main quest), you'll often unlock other side-quests in which you re-visit areas (from the Main Quest) and have specific challenges to do - which basically have side-quests often acting like challenge-maps that you'd see in other games. It could be a timed-event. It could be finding a specific item in the area and exiting the area. It could be just a specific new side-mission in that area. Who knows, roll the dice - as that is pretty much the kind of variety & insanity that comes with this game.

There are even side-missions where you play a Gigolo and try to seduce girls, in which they often up certain weapons + upgrades that you can only from doing these missions. As silly & ridiculous as these Gigolo missions are, where you have to check-out the girls, look at them, ogle them, etc..especially when they aren't paying attention - this just enforces plenty of the game's already often 4th wall breaking + satire elements, making Mondo seem like a very flawed James Bond-like type of character - and slickly also being a satire on the world of assassins and spies, as well. Simply put: this game is loaded with over-the-top sex (from the Gigolo missions) and violence (from namely the main-missions).

Even when you finish the game's main quest, you can re-do any missions you've done or not done - and continue in the game-world, which is great for players who want to master the game. Also, when selecting a mission from the world-map - the player can switch the difficulty of the even the level itself at any time. Since each difficulty had your best grade tied to it, people who want to master this game are likely going to replay it.

With the X360 gamepad (which is how I played the game) - the combat looks + feels absolutely awesome. While it does take a little bit to get going as it eases the player into learning the game early on - once the game gets going, it gets going. The game gets better and better with its combat, once you get more skills + upgrades and more different enemy types to take on. Also throw in some awesome finishing moves (cutting people's heads off & slicing people in half) & incredible boss-fights, the game is nothing short of an action-packed roller-coaster ride.

After the 12-13 hours that I appoximately spent with this game (on my 1st run), I was left with an often awesome, unique & crazy game. This over-the-top, utterly ridiculous, hack-n-slash game is an absolute blast, especially in the main missions. While some of the side-missions (challenge style missions + the repetitive nature of the Gigolo missions) are nowhere as great as the main-mission stuff + sometimes leave a little left to be desired here, they're still optional for the player to have things to do + challenges to take on, if you feel inclined. The unique art-style implemented in this cel-shaded game look great and the game runs extremely well (even if it is locked at 30 frames per second). Add onto this all that the game also has unique characters & a bat-crap crazy story + plot, satire elements, and 4th-wall breaking elements - this game is going to have its own cult-following for this stuff alone. Add onto it that gamers who might not care about the story stuff might want awesome combat, excellent boss fights - that is here, as well. Gamers who want it all - action, story, plot, insanity, you're not going to be left behind. There's just too much to like + love here for gamers to ignore; especially hack-n-slash action gamers. Killer Is Dead is the name of the game, but it's more like Killer Is Alive. This game feels alive, thrives (in so many ways) & is an absolutely awesome hack-n-slash action game.

Killer is Dead is the latest title made by the iconic game creator SUDA51. In it you get to control the newest recruit of a reputable execution agency, Mondo Zappa, as he stalks and beheads a wide variety of criminals all across the world (sometimes even outside of it). As he settles into his new job, he also comes to terms with his own inner demons, balancing his talent for dispensing swift and brutal justice with his fleeting memories of a traumatic past, and peppering it all with his many sensual conquests.

Gameplay

Gameplay wise this is an extremely fun game. It is very simplistic and linear, yet you will have a good time slicing through large ammounts of enemies with your katana. Combat consists in lots of button smashing though, which after a while, gets repetitive, but you have a nice diversity of enemies too keep it "fresh". Combat which is in its majority through the game, insanely frenetic and challenging at times, being the boss fights the strongest attribute of it. You also have a nice selection of secondary weapons too once you unlock them through side-missions. Side-missions which are a nice way to offer some diversity to this game, since the main story missions are super linear, with a few collectables here and there, but excepting that, you will be walking around corridors most of the time. Some of these side missions are very fun, others are kinda lame after a while since they get extremely repetitive (gigolo missions), but they help giving the japonese vibe that this game possesses.The game also as a good longetivity, I spent around 12 hours in order to complete it (side missions included).

Story

I found the story to be very weak. It was insanely confusing and awkward with lots of bland dialog and boring cutscenes. The oscillating tone does not work well too, it varies from emotional scenes to lame humor very fast. It has some pretty cool characters though, which help this category of the game.

Graphics and Presentation

Graphically this game is marvellous to look at. Incredibly stylish cel-shadded graphics give life to this incredible world. Most of the levels are gorgeous and well designed. Some are kinda lame though. I remember that one of the chapters was so dark that I had many difficulties to navigate through it, even with the brightness maxed out. Also a minus the lack of graphical options in the menus, since there is only one option to choose that goes from low, medium, high, no other options whatsoever. Despite that, the menus are slick and easy to navigate, loading screens are fast, and the menus also have a nice array of music to complement them.

Sound

The music and sound effects in this game are great. I deeply enjoyed the soundtrack, and the sound effects all felt right too. Voice acting is kinda "meh", nothing special, the story and dialog surely dont help in this case.

Performance

Performance is great. I played on a considerably weak laptop and almost never dropped from the 30 fps cap on max settings. Unfortunately it is locked at the 30 fps mark but you can change that in the config files by following this guide - here. I also had to change the resolution in the config files since my native one was not available in-game, which is a big minus.

Summary

Pros:

Great presentation and japonese vibe

Amazing graphics and creative art style

Fun and frenetic combat

Good longetivity

Cons:

Hugely confusing, weak story

Extremely linear story missions

Lack of use of the PC technical potencial

My personal score: 7.0

If you like Hack 'n' Slash games and games with a japonese vibe, this is a game to get. I would advice to get in on a sale, even though the standard price is not very high, for the mixed experience you get its better to pay a little less. Nevertheless, you will have a good time playing this game, it feels good to slash through hordes of monsters and assassins.

When Killer is Dead was released on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 in 2013, it made waves for its striking art style and controversial gigolo side missions, but PC gamers didn’t want to sit idly by while they missed out on Suda 51’s latest surreal experience. Thus, Deep Silver and Kadokawa Games have teamed up to bring the sword swinging hack and slasher to Steam at an affordable, and very reasonable price. With even more refined visuals, keyboard and mouse controls, and a new difficulty mode, considering this is a new territory for the developer, they seem to have made out very well, all things considered.Killer is Dead stars an executioner named Mondo Zappa who has recently become a major cog at Bryan’s Executioner Office. The Executioner Office is the country’s first line of defense, banked on tax dollars and serving the state. Well, in theory at least, as most of its clients are individual citizens who come to the firm with a unique problem. There’s the man with a giant spider monster terrorizing his house, a musician who had her ears stolen and a woman in crisis from the dark side of the moon just to name a few. There’s never a job the office doesn’t take, and while Mondo is sent out on the bulk of them, he has assistance in the form of Bryan, Vivienne and Mika. Vivienne is a femme fatale with a dozen arms that shoot out of her back and fire guns, Bryan is the head of the operation who is one cybernetic implant away from becoming a robot and Mika is a young runaway that Mondo takes in because she’s good at making soft-boiled eggs. All the characters in the game are interesting, from the major players to the bit ones, with Bryan a standout outside of the protagonist. His cryptic messages and nonchalance helps elevate the surrealism of the situations.I’d go deeper into the plot, but find that difficult for two reasons: it would spoil the fun of unraveling the story and it’s incredibly abstract and difficult to put into words. Killer is Dead has a narrative that plops you into the middle of a mysterious world playing as a character you know little about. It takes place in the distant future as evidenced by Mondo’s cybernetic arm and the moon being inhabited. Indeed, the cover art is not just for show and the moon plays a significant part in the game. As the plot progresses, more is revealed about the characters and just what the hell is happening, rewarding those who stick with it and attempt to piece it all together. Matching the idiosyncrasy of the plot are the bizarre level designs. There’s a stage reminiscent of an M.C. Escher painting as imagined by Lewis Carroll, complete with stairs on the walls, and one that takes place in a thousand-story building. This is a game that literally goes straight to the moon within the first few hours, so except anything and everything. The unique setting of areas helps the game from feeling repetitive, although they aren’t always the most inspired, with more indoor corridors than I would have liked. The boss designs are some of the strangest in recent memories, rivaling even the Slurm Queen in DmC. The gameplay is that of a hack and slash and somewhat reminiscent of Devil May Cry. Mondo’s main weapon is his beloved katana, Gekkou, which absorbs blood and boosts his fighting ability. Blood can be used for multiple things, the most notable being the “Adrenaline Burst.” An enemy can be cut in half (usually right down the middle) upon being stunned, destroying them in one hit. The most important use of blood is to grant the ability to harness the power of Mondo’s cybernetic left arm, which is called the “Musselback.” Multiple (some unlockable) sub-weapons can be loaded into the Musselback, including the Bullet Shot, Freeze Shooter and Drill. The Bullet Shot is basically a gun and can be charged for more damage, the Freeze Shooter fires frozen bullets to slow enemies down and the Drill is a giant drill. The Bullet Shot is the most practical out of the three, although each has its own advantage.Most of the time, however, expect to be hacking and slashing. Most of the action happens by the way of the square button, which creates lighting quick combos. Holding down the same button does a circular “Moon Slash,” while hitting triangle breaks guard. On the defensive side of things, holding circle brings Mondo into a guard, while tapping it makes him dodge. If an attack is successfully dodged, it brings up a prompt to counter-attack, which allows the enemy to be sliced and diced in slow-motion. While it’s a wholly satisfying combat system, it does feel a bit outdated after the smoothness of both DmC and Metal Gear Rising.Perhaps the most shocking feature about the game is that of the “Gigolo Missions,” which is surprising in a game that has a character sprout legs out of her back and crawl around the ceiling. These are mini-games that can be completed in-between missions, with the ultimate goal being to seduce a woman for pleasure and weapons. Every mission has Mondo approach an attractive woman and begin seducing her the “Gigolo Vision” and sneaking a peak of her private areas when she’s not looking. You can look at her face too, but as the tutorial states, “staring at her face won’t increase your Guts, go for the sexy shots!” Mondo can restore the mood by looking in her eyes, however, which is necessary as she’ll ditch you if it cools off enough. Once you’ve gained enough guts by staring at her, you give her presents until she falls in love with you and gives you a weapon. It’s hard to predict how people will react to this mode, and I’m not touching that with a ten foot poll, but it’s surprisingly entertaining and all in good fun.It’s surprising Killer is Dead has received a PC port, especially considering we’ve only seen one other game from Grasshopper Manufacture breech the open ended barrier. Unfortunately, Nightmare Edition is a little below expectations. There’s a lack of options when it comes to visuals as it’s summed up in a single quality meter ranging from high to low. That’s not the concerning matter – it’s actually more stunning a nine month old console port of this caliber had any graphical selections at all – but it’s the five supported resolutions and limited frame rate that’s worrisome. It’s only disappointing because the game actually supports more than 30fps and any resolution possible, but to unlock these, players will have to go into ini file and manually change the settings themselves. Besides that, though, the Killer is Dead really shines on PC, showcasing the studio’s beautiful artwork.Killer is Dead is not everybody’s cup of tea. It’s avant-garde, darkly humorous, hyper-violent and different from most every game out there. It’s like the weirdness of Killer 7, Lollipop Chainsaw, Anarchy Reigns and Catherine rolled into one game, but narratively removed from anything that’s come before it. Out of the box, the Nightmare Edition is a baffling package.

This game is a hyper stylized anime. I highly recommend using the Japanese voice over rather than the English.

You play as Mondo Zappa. A hired Killer or Executioner as far as I understand. I'm not entirely sure if this game was made by Suda51 or just inspired however its extremely in Suda51 style regardless. Additionally is not a successor to Killer7 to the best of my knowledge despite the obvious comparison.

The gameplay is tight and responsive. There were only occasional sections were I felt the game was being cheap. Mostly the sections where flying enemies were being spawned behind you. However overall anytime I was failing a mission. It felt like it was me being impatient with the game. There are leveling mechanics; Health bar, blood bar (special bar). As well as Carnage that can be spent on upgrading your abilities such as combos.

The story is told through chapters and each one completed opens up additional side missions. Which initially seems great. Who doesn't want more videogame to play. They just feel tacked on. Some are fun, some are even challenging. The game isn't long by any stretch but with underwhelming side missions, personally, I found my interest was waning near the end game. Though it does have a nice climatic ending, Its very well done. Almost made me go back and complete the side missions I had not already completed.

There are some technical issuesThe game after setup is locked at 720p @ 31fps. Which is very strange. A simple .ini file edit can fix the fps to your refresh rate or desired one as well as the resolution. But beware, should you desire to complete the Gigolo side missions, you'll need to change the fps back to 31 (I believe its the max smooth rate line you need to edit) Otherwise the game will hard lock.

There is a lot of extra stuff despite the main campaign being about 7 hours. Desire to complete them all will vary from person to person.